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Tuesday, 18 October 2011

Most Women Who Get Yearly Mammograms Will Face A False Alarm

Of women who get yearly mammograms, 61 percent will have at least one false-positive result over a decade, a new study shows.

And because of these 'false alarm' test results — which seem to indicate cancer but further tests reveal not to be tumors —7 to 9 percent of women will be recommended to get a biopsy.

If women are instead screened every other year, only 42 percent will have a false positive over a decade, but this lengthened screening interval brings a small increased risk of getting a later-stage cancer diagnosis, the study showed.

"We hope that by helping women know what to expect in terms of false-positive results, they'll be less likely to experience anxiety when they are called back for a repeat screening or biopsy," said study researcher Rebecca Hubbard, an assistant investigator at the Group Health Center for Health Studies in Seattle.  Read Here

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